Meaning & use
a undercut
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Meanings
nouncountable
A hairstyle in which the hair on the sides and back is cut very short while the hair on top is left long.
Grammar: Countable, so it needs an or an: an undercut, two different undercuts.
Patterns
- get an undercut
- have an undercut
- an undercut with long hair on top
He asked the barber for an undercut, so the sides are shaved short and the top is still long.
She grew tired of her undercut and is letting the short sides catch up with the rest.
An undercut can look very sharp if you style the longer hair on top with some gel.
nouncountabletechnical
A cut made below or into the lower part of something, especially in wood, rock, or a slope.
Grammar: Countable and often used with make or cut: make an undercut in the rock.
Patterns
- make an undercut
- cut an undercut into something
The climbers rested on a narrow ledge formed by an undercut in the cliff.
The carpenter made an undercut along the base of the board so it would fit tightly.
verbtransitivebusiness
To offer goods or services at a lower price than a competitor.
Grammar: Takes an object: undercut a rival, undercut their prices.
Patterns
- undercut a competitor
- undercut someone's prices
- undercut the market
The new online store undercut every local shop by selling the same shoes for less.
If we undercut our rivals too far, we will not make any profit.
Supermarkets often undercut small businesses on everyday items like milk and bread.
Word forms
| plural | undercuts |
|---|---|
| third person singular | undercuts |
| past tense | undercut |
| past participle | undercut |
| -ing form | undercutting |
Common combinations
- get an undercut
- He decided to get an undercut before the summer.
- undercut a competitor
- The airline undercut its competitors on flights to Spain.
- undercut prices
- Discount chains undercut prices in almost every category.
- a short undercut
- She chose a short undercut with a fade on the sides.
- undercut the market
- They tried to undercut the market and lost money.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fade
- A fade is a haircut where the hair gets gradually shorter toward the neck; an undercut has a clear, sharp line between long and short hair.
- cheat
- Cheat means to act dishonestly; undercut in business is not dishonest, just cheaper than others.
Opposites
Word family
- undercutting noun
- The act of selling more cheaply than others.
- cut verb
- To shorten hair or divide something with a blade.
Commonly confused: a undercut or haircut? a undercut or undercut?
a undercut vs haircut
A haircut is any cutting of the hair; an undercut is one specific style with short sides and long top.
a undercut vs undercut
As a verb it means to sell cheaper, not to cut hair; the hairstyle sense is only the noun.
Practice
Which sentence uses the noun undercut correctly?
Choose one answer.
'An undercut' is the correct countable noun form for the hairstyle. Option 2 uses 'an undercut' instead of 'an undercut', option 1 wrongly uses the verb, and option 3 uses the -ing form where a noun is needed.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a undercut”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.